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To know the story of Disciple, you have to place yourself in Kevin Young's shoes. Like Kevin, Disciple's singer and bandleader, let's say you've recorded ten albums, played thousands of shows worldwide, headlined tours since the late 90's, and opened multiple times for the biggest artists in Christian music. You've sold hundreds of thousands of records and you've got fourteen #1 singles. Add to that the fact that you are done with your most recent recording contract and your band needs a lineup change. You've been on the road for twenty years, and you've seen more hotel rooms than a Gideon Bible. Most people would probably say, hey, I've done a lot and maybe it's time to walk away. Most people are not Kevin Young.

"Disciple started when I was 16," says Young, "so I'm somewhere between old and young. I know Disciple's been around for a long time, and sometimes, when I wake up, I can feel every mile, but I can't wait to see what's ahead. It honestly doesn't FEEL like it's been as long as it has, and in a lot of ways I feel like we're just getting started. The process, where I've been and the new stuff we're doing right now as a band – it's a gift. We chose to be who we are AND embrace the new."

In a six-month period around the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, Kevin rebuilt Disciple, as well as his own approach to the band's future. "We added Josiah Prince from Philmont and Andrew Stanton from I Am Empire on guitars, Jason Wilkes from High Flight Society on bass and vocals (since the guy was an amazing lead vocalist for his band), and Joey West from After Edmund on drums. It's Disciple's best lineup ever. They have the perfect combination of being great players and performers, and are ridiculously talented songwriters," says Young. "One of my favorite things about these guys is that they have embraced where Disciple has been and love to play the classic songs for our fans, as well as have put every ounce of their souls into trying to take Disciple higher than we've ever been. I think our fans have embraced them for that in return."

Next, the band had some business decisions to make. Disciple finished their record label contract in 2013 and the band's recording future was in limbo. "We talked to a bunch of labels, but the whole time my manager and I kept asking each other the same question: why wouldn't we do this on our own? I guess we decided that it was because recording an independent project and all that goes with that was new and a little scary. Being fearful is real, but it's also a bad excuse," says Young.

"We decided that we would really give ourselves to our fans. It's one thing to have a record deal, make a record, and see if folks will buy it. It's a whole different level to engage your fans – really talk to them, tell them what you want to do and why, embrace them and then hope that they will embrace you back. We created a bunch of really cool packages that the fans could buy and put them all up on Kickstarter, hoping that our fans would buy things ahead of time to help us make a record. We were scared to death. But then our fans met our goal in seven days and it just kept going up until the forty-day funding process finished. We were stunned and just so thankful. Nobody has fans like we do," says Young.

"So with the lineup solidified and plans for a new record in place, now all we had to do was write the album. No big deal right? I was a little nervous – excited but nervous. I had more freedom than I've ever had to make the music and say the things that I really wanted to say. We had the support of our fans. But what really energized me was the music that was being written by the band members. It somehow felt very Disciple-esque and was somehow new at the same time. I think we all were really inspired by it."

The first order of business was to bring back Travis Wyrick to produce. Young states, "I hadn't worked with Travis in six years, but we knew this was going to be a hard, aggressive record. Travis recorded all of our hardest albums and working with him was like going home." The finished album is called Attack, and it is the band's most ambitious project to date. It's bold, it's hard, it's experimental, and it's sweepingly atmospheric. Attack gives a nod to long-time Disciple fans with "Radical" and "The Name" and the album will intrigue new listeners with offerings like "Dead Militia," "Lion," and "Angels And Demons."

"We wrote this record as a new band. Attack is the right album title because that's what we did with every song. Every band member contributed in a huge way to this album. Everybody brought songs to the table that we all worked on, and made each other's songs better. It was definitely a well-coordinated attack on all sides," says Young.

"You know, rock music isn't the most popular music genre right now, but it's also the music genre that will never die. Rock music always comes back around. And with that, I know what we've been called to do, and that's to do our best to show Christ to people with our music, and with how we interact with them, both on and off the stage. I thought about this new album for a year before we started in the studio, and I knew that the lyrics would be the boldest Disciple has ever put on a record. I wanted to talk about Jesus loudly and without shame. That's why "Radical" is the first track and our first single. It sets the tone for what we want people to hear. We talk about Jesus openly at every show. We do an altar call. That is who we are and that is what Disciple is called to do, and we hope that people hear the new music and say 'Yeah, now THAT'S Disciple!'"

“We’re not trying to fight God’s battles, because we can’t. But things need to be said, so we said them…” TJ Harris, Decyfer Down.

From the beginning of their existence, scarecrows have served but one purpose—to keep things out. By definition they are not welcoming or attractive. They exist to repel. In 2013, there are scarecrows everywhere…erected by hate, discrimination, fear, apathy… In every political, social and, sadly, religious institution, there are those whose sole purpose has become that of a scarecrow—to keep others away. Those who are different are kept out. Those who don’t wear the correct uniform are ostracized. Those who have been beaten down by life and humanity are further pummeled downwards by those who have redefined themselves in terms of superiority and piety.

And it is there—at the intersection of duty and contempt—that Decyfer Down must raise their voice. “People are scaring other people away,” shares TJ. “All of the tension and persecution is wrapped up in a lot of hate.” As the men of Decyfer Down have watched people in their own communities push others away, they refuse to watch in silence anymore.

Armed with truth, defiant against injustice and guided by love, they have channeled this battle cry against hypocrisy in their first studio project in five years…aptly called, Scarecrow. “This was in God’s timing,” shares TJ. “We just wanted to create music that really resonated. The point is to glorify God through the gifts He’s given us.” That singular focus comes across in each track on the record produced by Paul Ebersold (3 Doors Down, Sister Hazel), who also produced their previous record, Crash. Thematically and stylistically, Scarecrow is clearly at a new level of musical and spiritual maturity.

“The Crash record was all about worlds colliding within our spiritual walk,” TJ shares. “Whether it was addiction or other things we deal with internally, this record is more than what’s within us. This is more about what we see in our churches, the politics that are played, the way people use God’s name in vain. This record is about becoming refocused, reenergized to bring awareness that this is not the way it’s supposed to be.

“God really set us up for the entire record,” TJ continues. “We’re saying exactly what He wants us to say.” While statements like that aren’t rare in Christian culture, Decyfer Down backs it up by allowing their lifestyle to reflect not only their pursuit of God, but also their obedience and honor in His presence. They aren’t singing about the church because it’s an easy target. They’re singing about the church and home and community because that’s where they live. That’s where God is schooling them day in and day out.

“We’ve done everything from touring like crazy and experiencing the highs of going to the Grammys to coming off the road and reestablishing ourselves within our community and families,” TJ shares. “We’re building that network again and getting plugged back into our communities and families. That inspired a lot of the music and a lot of really cool things, but also brought out some darker things we had to deal with.”

Darker things like the story behind the song, “Say Hello,” which tells a chilling true story of an argument gone tragically wrong and an innocent victim landing at the receiving end of a bullet. “This is straight from God’s point of view,” shares TJ. “This girl shocked an entire town, but we’re called to love her still.” Stories like this aren’t told for shock value. Boundaries like loving the unlovable aren’t crossed for the sake of crossing them. Rather, these boundaries and emotional land mines are breached because God has led them to do so.

“We’re not trying to fight God’s battles, because we can’t,” says TJ. “But there are things that need to be said, so we said them.” Things like the folly of societal rules and tradition that have nothing to do with the truth of love and of God…yet too often become monikers for our culture in a world already scorched with skepticism and seething with contempt.

“A lot of people hear something from their pastor but don’t ever see what God actually said,” says TJ. “We get hung up on man-made rules and decisions that scare people. ‘If you do this or don’t do this you’re going to hell.’ People can live in fear their entire lives. God came to set us free…not bind us in fear.”

And that is the heartbeat of this project and this band. All too cognizant of a worldly culture of hypocrisy, self-indulgence, apathy and neglected family structures…Decyfer Down has seen it all. Very often the target of contempt from Christians who don’t buy into the idea of certain styles of music and God going hand in hand, they have walked both fields—those who misunderstand and those of the misunderstood.

Suffice it to say, that realization has come home. No longer satisfied with silence, Decyfer Down is stepping boldly into new territory… challenging a generation held too long in the vice of comfortable, damaging piety to wake up to truth. To wake up to love. To wake up to the fact that they’re missing it. Driven by passion more than agenda, Decyfer Down knows what they’ve been called to do and hope others will hear the heartbeat of God pulsing through each song.

“People need to listen to this with an open mind,” TJ says. “This is deeper lyrically, different stylistically, but it’s exactly what God wants us to do right now. People are living in fear, but God came to set us free. That’s what this is all about. We’re not bound in fear. We have to live in victory.”

BEC Recording artist Seventh Day Slumber is bringing a big show to the DMV this Winter! A show packed with full, over-the-top production with pyro, haze, and dazzling lights!

Featuring Special Guests Remedy Drive, Seabird, and many more!

With over a quarter of a million album sales, ten TOP 10 singles, and a decade of touring the world over, Seventh Day Slumber is ready to raise the bar yet again with powerful music and ministry that is both affordable and impactful. People will remember the day Jesus came to visit!

It won't take long for listeners of Spoken's sixth studio album to be reminded of how hard and fast the band can rock. The three songs that open the album: "History Erased," "Close Your Eyes" and "Not Soon Forgotten," start things off with nine minutes of blazing fast guitar riffs and loud and quick-rising vocals, all bounded by a full-sounding rhythm section. From there the self-titled record diversifies from all-out metal with the mid-tempo rockers and ballads that fans have come to know and love. After two albums for Tooth and Nail where the band explored has more anthemic avenues, the quintet found itself re-examining its hard rock and metal roots on its third record for the label. The resulting album is an 11-song sonic attack that knows when to slow down the pace and when to pounce back like a slap to the face. "We didn't intentionally go for a heavier sound," guitarist Jef Cunnigham said. "We just wrote what came to mind and I think it turned into some of our best material."

Random Hero has spent three years changing lives through the positive power of music. The band has worked incredibly hard to present meaningful music and a tight, energy charged live show. Along the way, a huge and loyal fan base has showered them with consistent accolades.

In the late summer of 2010, the band was rewarded once again for their hard work when they opened a sold out show for Skillet at Elitch Gardens Amusement Park in Denver, CO. At the conclusion of Random Hero's set, both John Cooper and Ben Kasica of Skillet approached the band to inquire whether or not the band was signed to a label. Over the following months, Random Hero signed an exclusive production contract with Ben Kasica. "It is a great honor that Ben has chosen to work with Random Hero," said front man Aaron Watkins. Watkins went on to say, "not only is Ben highly respected for his producing talents, but all the members of Random Hero are huge fans of Skillet." Pre-production on a number of songs started in September of 2010. On November 1, 2010, the band began recording the new songs at Kasiaca's, Skies Fall Studios, in Kenosha, WI.

Random Hero has not only been flooded by fan praise, they have also racked up commercial recognition. The band performed on the Vans Warped Tour, and multiple times at Cornerstone Festival, Agapefest, Hills Alive, Heavenfest, and Elitch Gardens Amusement Park. In addition, Random Hero was chosen by MTV to film an episode of "Made". They have worked with the ESPN X-Games, AMA Motocross, Go Fast Extreme Games, and more.

In 2009 and 2010, Armed Forces Entertainment added Random Hero to the exclusive roster of bands selected to entertain the US Military. The band has performed their song, "Guardians of Freedom", written exclusively for the United States Air Force, for thousands of service members at multiple military bases.

Random Hero finds themselves in a very unique situation with a world-class producer, solid management, widely appealing songs, and a future shining with unlimited opportunity. Guitarist Josh Bertrand summed it all up "We could not be more blessed than to share our music with the world. A true measure of an artists success is the love they receive back from those the music is shared with…and Random Hero feels very, very loved!"